An effort in Bend, Ore., backed by big funders looks for answers to youth homelessness. George Anders, October 3, 2024 — BEND, ORE.Eliza Wilson is a little nervous as she draws the microphone close to her, but she is determined to share her life story — and its larger lessons — with a vital new […]
Can Ordinary Citizens Solve Our Toughest Problems? Read More »
📺 Watch Deschutes County assembly members describe their experience in their own words As a contentious U.S. presidential election comes down to the wire, a group of citizens from across the political spectrum in Bend, Oregon demonstrated another way to do politics: through group deliberation, analysis, and moving moments of personal connection and excitement. “It’s
In Oregon assembly, Americans show another kind of politics is possible Read More »
Kelsey McGee, October 6, 2024 — BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — An innovative new way for Central Oregonians to weigh in on one of the region’s most pressing issues wrapped up its fifth and final day Sunday, preparing proposals for area officials to consider. The Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness gave a representative sample of 30 Deschutes County
October 17, 2024 — From 14 September to 6 October 2024, a Civic Assembly on the topic of youth homelessness took place in Deschutes County in the US state of Oregon. On 6 October, Members of the Central Oregon Youth Action Board received the assembly’s recommendations. Later on, delegates from the assembly will deliver their
“Thanks for giving me hope” Read More »
July 30, 2024 — The Central Oregon Civic Action Project (COCAP), Healthy Democracy, and the Central Oregon Youth Action Board are excited to announce a Lottery-Selection event for Central Oregon’s first-ever Civic Assembly. The event will take place on August 1, 2024, at 6pm at the Deschutes Public Library. During this event, 30 delegates will
Selection Event for First Civic Assembly in Central Oregon Read More »
City Club Forum Floats Idea of Citizens Assembly to Tackle Topics in “Bend” Way Simon Mather, May 9, 2024 — A recent City Club of Central Oregon forum asked whether Citizens Assemblies — an idea which has been gaining significant traction worldwide — could be a fresh way for local residents to own complex issues
Move to Give Community “Seat at Table” Read More »
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Central Oregon Civic Action Project and Central Oregon Youth Action Board have mailed 12,500 letters to randomly selected households in Deschutes County to participate in a Civic Assembly focused on solutions for youth homelessness. Here’s their announcement, in full: The Civic Assembly is a democratic innovation in which communities involve
La primera asamblea se enfocará en encontrar soluciones para los jóvenes sin hogar Julianna Lafollette | Translated Jéssica Sánchez-Millar, June 26, 2024 — El Ayuntamiento de Bend y la mesa de comisionados del condado de Deschutes aprobaron un Memorando de Entendimiento con el Proyecto de Acción civil del Centro de Oregón (COCAP por sus siglas
Asambleas ciudadanas locales comenzarán en el otoño Read More »
The first assembly will focus on finding potential solutions for youth homelessness JULIANNA LAFOLLETTE, JUNE 25, 2024 — The City of Bend and the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Oregon Civic Action Project, agreeing to receive and potentially implement recommendations that come out of citizen assemblies. In
Local Citizen Assemblies to Start in the Fall Read More »
12,750 invitation letters have been mailed to residents in our first project to institutionalise a Citizens’ Assembly in the US July 10, 2024 — Last week, with official support from city and county governments in Central Oregon, more than 12,750 letters were sent to residents inviting them to be in the lottery for a Civic Assembly on
Launching a first-of-its-kind Civic Assembly in Deschutes County, Oregon, USA 🇺🇸 Read More »
May 19, 2024 — When the Bend City Council agreed Wednesday to join an effort by the Central Oregon Civic Action Project to examine solutions to youth homelessness we had questions: Who is this group? Where is the money coming from? The effort will be like jury duty for setting government policy. It’s similar to something from
Editorial: Does Deschutes County need a do over on setting policy? Read More »
HEATHER ROBERTS BEND, OR — A concept to engage the public in government policy decisions rarely seen in the U.S. could be coming to our area. City Club of Central Oregon Executive Director Kim Gammond says Citizen Assemblies are more common in Europe, “It’s a way for people to actually impact policy decisions beyond the one or two
Citizen Assemblies Concept Proposed for Central OR Read More »
The last three years at Healthy Democracy have been a triumph in collaboration. The art of practicing democracy in every decision, every interaction, every transition takes a dedication to and perseverance in our values that is truly special. Three years ago, HD transitioned from a traditional staff structure to a non-hierarchical staff structure. With the
“Lottery-selected democracy is no panacea, but it is an example of a complex design that directly counters many of the threats facing our democracy today. It guarantees representation of many identities rather than relying on those who have the time, confidence, and resources to show up. It fosters collaboration more concretely than one-directional community engagement.
Hot off the Press! Read More »
Program Director Application deadline extended to: 11:59PM PDT on April 30, 2024 HD’s Program Directors manage our program development and implementation – and conduct ongoing outreach to cultivate new programs. Who We Are We bring together everyday people, from all walks of life, to tackle our most contentious issues. We are an Oregon-based nonpartisan nonprofit
JORGE CASUSO “September 25, 2023 — The future of Santa Monica Airport should be hammered out — not by the usual community activists and civic volunteers — but by randomly selected “everyday people,” City officials told the City Council Monday. The information item from top Public Works officials proposes using a democratic lottery to “engage
Randomly Chosen Panel Should Guide Airport’s Future, Officials Say Read More »
Since you haven’t heard from us much lately, we thought we’d share a glimpse of what’s inspiring and delighting us behind the scenes at HD. (Against the backdrop of a long winter in Oregon, we could all use some inspiration!). Between major projects, our amazing little team is still working towards our mission every single
Behind the Scenes at HD Read More »
Mayors, city councilors, select board members, city and town managers, county executives, and other local government officials from across the country convened in this online conference in December 2022 to discuss how America’s hometowns can help reinvent democracy. Watch Alex, from Healthy Democracy, at the virtual Symposium hosted by the American Academy of Arts &
Reinventing Democracy: How Hometowns Are Strengthening America Read More »
This introduction to citizens’ assemblies and how they can empower breakthroughs in local democracy was co-hosted by the Berggruen Institute, Healthy Democracy, The American Public Trust, Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, Abundant Housing LA, and Public Access Democracy. This 90-minute online teach-in brought together advocates and experts on democratic theory and governance to introduce
How can we include everyday people in political decisions? Duncan welcomes Alex Renirie, Linn Davis and Kacey Bull from Healthy Democracy to the show to discuss democratic lotteries that empower citizens to participate in the political process with informed deliberative consideration of complex issues. In this episode, you can see how they’re making sure your voice matters.
Creating a Healthy Democracy For Everyone – Omni Win Podcast Read More »
In this webinar, held on November 18th, 2021, Healthy Democracy teamed up with experts from across the world to discuss lottery-selected deliberative panels. Democratic lotteries are being used around the world to guarantee diversity, representation, and inclusion of new voices in public policymaking. Watch us to learn how this popular democratic reform could help Portland
Healthy Democracy is grieving the loss of Ned Crosby. Ned was not only a leading innovator in the field of citizen deliberation and public engagement, he was also a beloved mentor to many who have passed through HD’s offices. Ned passed peacefully on the evening of Sunday, May 29, 2022 surrounded by family in Minneapolis,
A Tribute to Ned Crosby Read More »
AMELIA PARREIRA ARGUS-COURIER STAFF March 2, 2022, 12:15PM To form the panel of 30 to 40 residents, potential candidates would be invited to participate through a mailed letter sent to 10,000 randomly selected residences. The letter would ask those residents to respond by filling out a questionnaire which would ask for demographic information such as
Here’s how the controversial new Petaluma fairgrounds planning process will work Read More »
A Citizens Assembly Could Unify People Around a Thorny Problem and Succeed Where Politicians Have Failed by JOE MATHEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2022 The tool is called the citizens assembly.While getting elected to the legislature without a permanent address is nearly impossible, one democratic virtue of the citizens assembly is that it could specifically include a significant plurality of people who
Let the People of California Solve the State’s Homelessness Crisis Read More »
TYLER SILVY ARGUS-COURIER EDITOR February 9, 2022 Eager to find a solution to the quandary, Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn recently unveiled an entirely new approach that would utilize a novel “democratic lottery process,” the exact opposite of “politics as usual.” Healthy Democracy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit consulting firm with a solid track record of helping
